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I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international
consultants. About living in Italy, the Veneto area near Venice; in Indonesia,
central Java. Why we love the southeast of the United States and moved back from
Italy. Our love for gardening, the botanical way. Sharing with you our manifold
treasures from exotic places and even offering several in my Mariette's Back to
Basics LLC Boutique, for others to enjoy. As well as high end silver items from
Giovanni Raspini, Italy |
google.com/+MariettesBacktoBasics

I
also do classes and consulting... too much to list here! Check out my google.com/+MarietteVandenMunckhofVedderABOUT page, where you see my other LINKS and email address; you just scroll down.Thanks!

Love to
bring back some romance and quality to the daily life of others...

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Saturday, November 22, 2014

{New Heater for Greenhouse}

Sure it is that time of the year again that our pot plants have to stay inside the greenhouse, due to frost at night. A sudden drop in temperatures makes tropical plants very sensitive, because they do not have time to harden.

A brand new Heater for our Greenhouse...

Outside you can see a blooming rose peaking through the door in this November 5, photo.

You can also see the steel utility cart that is being used to transport the pot plants down hill, into the greenhouse and up hill back to the gazebo and patios around the home in the spring.

Husband Pieter added additional shelves on the sides, so we can store more pot plants.

He also put bark on the floor.

Repairs to the greenhouse have been made.

Shelves also on the other side.

A wooden walk way on the floor in the center.

There is the old heater, now functioning in the addition, that Pieter build last year, for sheltering some bigger pot plants.

Meanwhile all plants have been brought inside, all our jasmines, hibiscus and geraniums.

So once more, we are ready for winter!

And yes, our new heater performed well as we had our deeper frost, due to the Polar Vortex hitting the South.
As you can see, November 19, 2014 at 7:34 AM it was -8°C or 18°F.

Dearest Claudia,It is by far not a big greenhouse... we constantly had to face the dilemma of running out of space! But with the addition adjacent to the greenhouse, it works.Happy weekend to you and stay cozy.Hugs,Mariette

Dearest Mariette; Wonderful for your plants to have new heater for the warmth in winter♪ Bark on the floor must help the inside warm as well(^_^)ｖ I've heard about the coldness and snow from TV news in America. Winter is just around the corner here as well.

Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

Dearest Miyako,Our plants did survive this frost very well so the test of the new heater worked out positive! Sure the bark on the ground is an added buffer too. There actually is no floor, just soil.We don't get the snow here in the South but we certainly did get some frost.Sending hugs to my Japanese friend and enjoy a cozy weekend.Mariette

Hello Mariette, You have given us a glimpse of the dedication and hard work it takes to maintain a beautiful yard and garden like yours. Even with your precautions, I hope that you get a mild winter this year!--Jim

Dearest Jim,Thank you and yes, we do hope that we can keep the greenhouse doors open due to mild winter weather. Usually these cold spells are rare in-between but we cannot drag all pot plants back and forth each time they occur. So they must remain inside till spring really arrives and the danger for frost has gone. Even that can proof tricky at times...Wishing you a happy weekend and sending you kindest regards,Mariette

Dearest Dimi,Yes, -8°C here in the South. So much about Global Warming!Our tropical plants are all doing fine; thanks to the new heater and the use of the old one in the adjacent green house.We had a lovely day, sunny and warm and Monday it will be even 24°C.Hugs and happy weekend to you!Mariette

Hello my dear friend Mariette,Your greenhouse is so nice and neat, and they all look so ready for winter. I wish I could do the same here, to keep all my geraniums safe from winter, but it will require lots of energy, although it may be possible to use solar panels to save energy.

I wish you don't have to use a lot the heater and I hope you have a mild winter.

Dearest Laura,This works for us and sure, it consumes some energy on those frosty nights. Wish we could have a better build greenhouse that would require less heating. But there is always something to dream about... Right now we have lovely sunny weather and warm, Monday even warmer in the mid 70s. But again light frost towards the end of the week. Hope you are staying warm and cozy too and wish you could keep your geraniums inside the garage or some place, sheltered from frost.Hugs and happy weekend dear friend!Mariette

Your plants sure are nice and cozy for the winter. Wow! 18 degrees. I can remember wearing shorts at Christmas time in Louisiana when I was a teenager. Weather fluctuates so much. We are having a warming spell again, just when everyone thought it was getting cold. Now the jackets and scarves are too much for daytime, and still people try to dress that way. Have a good day. Tammy

Dearest Tammy,Yes, 18 degrees was a real attack on tender plants; glad ours are safe inside!We have had Christmas time that we could be outside in the garden in short sleeves so one never knows for sure. It can be tricky how to dress when the weather is kind of off.Wishing you also a good day and sending you hugs.Mariette

Dearest Mariette,Once upon a time I also had a greenhouse, but the snow was too heavy so it crashed!Yes of course, I have read all of your posts about Grand Canyon. Appreciated!I wish we could go there soon!Hugs from Sweden!Most I liked the old western wagons and train.

Dearest Astrid,Oh my, I can imagine that the snow load can be devastating on top of a glass greenhouse... So sorry! Glad you enjoyed our Arizona journey and you will once end up there too.Sending you hugs,Mariette

Dearest Kay,Usually it stays here rather warm, like today when it was 20°C and tonight 11°C. Tmorrow it will be 22°C with heavy thunderstorms and 17°C at night. Monday it will be even 24°C during the day. So as you see, this is only sporadic and those heaters have a thermostat so they only start running when the temperature drops too low. It would be costly here as well if they had to run all winter! But we live in the South, at the exact latitude of Broken Hill, NSW, only in the northern hemisphere. Hugs,Mariette

Dearest Kay,When you are that close to the Ocean, like you in Adelaide, that has a more softening influence as well. Winds coming from the north, bring heat from Indonesia. Winds from the north here, bring arctic cold... Just a BIG difference! We are two hours away from the Ocean.Hugs,Mariette

Hi Mariette. Your pot plants are very well taken care of! They can stay warm and happy in winter :-)It's been too cold for November. I wonder if it's gonna be really cold winter this year. We'll probably get lot of logs for fireplace to stay warm. Have a wonderful weekend xoxo

Dearest Tamago,Plants are safe, nothing to worry about.Crazy weather and so much about that stupid Global Warming thing!Tomorrow heavy thunderstorms, like summer weather. Let's hope winter will be mild. We no longer have wooden logs for our fireplace but gas instead, burning artificial logs... Wishing you a cozy weekend as well.Hugs,Mariette

Dearest Mariette,I am happy to read that you had all your pots transferred into the greenhouse in time before the frost! Winter has come quite early for you... already -8!!!! Your precious plants will be happy in their cosy shelter! Here in the greater Athens area and suburbs, we can leave our geraniums, gardenias etc. outside all year long, which is not the case in northern Greece where it is much colder. I wish you a nice Sunday! Many hugs!!

Dearest Marie-Anne,This was a winter surprise, but for the entire country it was and I feel for the people in the north that got over 2 meters of snow. Next it will cause problems with flooding when all that snow melts away. You are lucky for living in the greater Athens area for being able to leave gardenias and jasmines etc. outdoors! That makes life so much more pleasant too.Enjoy your Sunday and sending you hugs.Mariette

Dearest Mariette,Your tropical plants are very sensitive The green house in out side you can see rose to transport in pot into the green house.Husband pieter added additional shldves on the side the floor also build last year for sholtling some bigger pot plants.Jasmines hibicus and glraniums are really in the winter time You has deeper frost tricky in the time.I has carefully with my allergies with asthma it most of hot weather time.You have a warm and safe time.Hugs and love to both of you! Michiko

Dearest Michiko,We did have very nice sunny weather after that cold night. But plants need to remain in the greenhouse for who knows this cold might come back again for one or two nights. Always short time but tropical plants need to be sheltered.Hope your allergies and asthma will not bother you too much.Stay well and enjoy the spring weather.Sending you hugs and love from both of us!Mariette

Your plants will be nice and cozy in there. It's hard to believe how cold and snowy the country got this past week. Good thing you got them in before a killing frost. I bring my geraniums indoors and they seem to adjust pretty well to indoors here.

Dearest Deborah,Our plants are fine the way they reside for a couple of months.It is indeed hard to believe how big part of the country turned cold and white with snow. Are those Global Warming idiots still pretending they are right?Geraniums adjust fine to being indoors, as long as they have light!Sending you hugs for a happy Sunday and stay cozy.Mariette